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I have to say, this is not helping my thirst for a tropical vacation. A little sun and relaxation south of the boarder would be complete heaven for this blogger. But the next best thing would have to be delving into the images of a seaside Los Barilles wedding shot by Rebecca Gosselin Photography. Bright, tropical flower-infused festivities that are sure to have you checking kayak lickity split for a ticket to paradise. See it all here.

From the Bride… My husband and I fell in love traveling to Mexico, so it was only fitting that we get married there. Non-traditionalists, we originally planned to have a small ceremony on the beach with just our parents and us. We quickly realized that we could not celebrate such a meaningful time without our best friends and close family members. With a strict budget of $10,000, we were able to put together a truly magical day that extended into a week-long celebration with all of our closest loved ones. For DIY inspiration, I frequented Style Me Pretty to get ideas for a rustic, bohemian, beach wedding blend. I knew succulents were a must and loved the combination of green cymbidium orchids and wood boxes. I bought yards of burlap to cut into squares for under the centerpieces and super glued burlap ribbon to make napkin rings. I also used the ribbon to tie around mason jars with candles inside (my in-laws, who drove instead of flying, were able to transport most of the materials). The favors were handmade natural soaps that were ordered from Desert Soaps, where they make incredible natural products using ingredients all grown from their nine-acre ranch in southern Baja.

Planning a destination wedding without a wedding planner required lots and lots of e-mails regarding travel and lodging arrangements for guests as well as communication with local vendors. After months of planning, at some point before we arrived in Los Barilles, I realized I had to let everything go and trust that it was all going to work out. The day of the wedding I had my small army of ladies running around setting up tables, decorations and making sure all the details were put in place, which was such a great help and allowed me to completely enjoy the day. As we were rushing to get the ceremony started before the sunset, we realized that there was no ceremony music because the mariachi band was running late. Just as we were about to walk down the aisle to a random selection from the DJ, the mariachi band walked in the hotel and began playing. It was perfect timing and such a fun entrance that set the tone for the rest of the evening!

My dream has always been to have incredible sunset pictures from my wedding, but because we were getting married on the Sea of Cortez, our only option was a sunrise photo shoot. When I mentioned this to the dedicated and professional photographers of Rebbeca Gosselin Photography, they were completely game. They did a fabulous job capturing every lovely moment including the sunRISE photo shoot at 5 a.m. the morning after the wedding!